The modern digital era and the rapid development of computer and internet technologies provide various cross-boundary opportunities, with an essential layer of computer networks to allow for digital communication. Such platforms require IT systems that guarantee authenticity, confidentiality, integrity, privacy, as well as availability. The need of reducing vulnerability and risk of unauthorized access to a network system is associated with various remote authentication services, as a more common approach to maintaining server security, mainly using hardware-based methods.
Software-based solutions and methods for remote authentication to establish trust between two entities, controlling access to computer or network resources, present a long-standing problem in computer security.
For example, digital content such as games, videos and the like, in a networked configuration may be susceptible to unlicensed usage and may be protected by a licensing verification program; such licensing programs may be circumvented by reverse engineering. Preventing the circumventing of a software licensing program may use a method of “obfuscation”, making software instructions difficult for humans to understand by deliberately cluttering the code with useless, confusing pieces of additional software syntax, are still readable to the skilled hacker.
Additionally, encryption may be implemented for protecting digital content products, using a unique key to convert the software code to an unreadable format. Such protection may only be effective when the unique key is kept secured and unreachable to an unwanted party. Hardware-based methods for keeping the unique key secured are possible, but may have significant deficiencies, mainly due to an investment required in dedicated hardware on the user side, making it costly, and therefore, impractical. Furthermore, such hardware methods have been successfully attacked by hackers.
Thus, methods of software-based authentication of a remote machine, providing controlled and secured access is required in many aspects of computer related technologies. There is therefore a need for a better technique for software-based authentication solution. The present disclosure addresses this need.